National Retail Federation

Retail sales edged up in April

2013-05-13 12:20:00

Did you get out and shop in April? Retail sales numbers released today show improving consumer confidence and more spending in stores. The National Retail Federation reported a 0.6 percent seasonally adjusted sales gain from March to April,...

Retailers may charge fee to customers paying with credit cards

2013-02-24 00:00:00

Customers at Towson Hot Bagels usually pay with credit, not cash, when buying a bagel or a bottle of water, triggering fees the merchant must pay to process each transaction. Now, the shop's owner and retailers across the country may recoup "swipe"...

Retailers test new formats during holidays

2012-12-03 17:33:00

At GameStop Kids at White Marsh Mall, shoppers will find plush Mario book bags and Angry Birds hats mixed in with the Lego Star Wars and other kid-friendly video games, a mix meant to attract both serious "gamers" as well as those who've never played...

Retailers see big boost from Valentine's Day candy sales

2013-02-13 10:33:00

Customers lined up outside Rheb's Candy early Monday, even before owner Wynn Harger opened the doors of the Southwest Baltimore shop his family has run for three generations. People, mostly men, crammed into the tiny, cottage-like store for much of the...

Dock workers, ports reach tentative agreement, averting strike

2013-02-02 12:44:19

Dock workers and the management of 15 East Coast and Gulf ports reached a tentative agreement on a new master contract late Friday night, averting a threatened walkout on Wednesday. The six-year deal between the International Longshoremen's Association,...

In Baltimore and beyond, Super Bowl is cause for big-screen treatment

2013-01-28 17:43:03

Super Bowl season typically is a busy time for television sales, but in the Baltimore area, some stores have seen an extra boost as fans get ready for game day parties on Feb. 3, when the Ravens face the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. "It's without a doubt,...

Contract talks between dockworkers, management break down

2012-12-19 14:44:33

Talks have broken down between the union representing nearly 15,000 East Coast and Gulf longshoremen and the group representing shippers and port operators, with little more than a week to go before their contract expires. Meeting Tuesday in Newark, N.J....

Five questions with…Patrick Donoho

2012-12-29 00:00:00

Retailers have had a difficult few years, especially the small shops that make up the bulk of the Maryland Retailers Association's membership. As the trade group's president since June 2010, Patrick Donoho has seen the effects of the recession as many...

Black Friday shoppers may have done more browsing than buying

2012-11-25 14:26:00

Domingo Catalan powered through the Thanksgiving night crowds to get his children toys. He methodically checked all the boxes on his relatives' wish lists on Black Friday. And before he goes to work as a data analyst for a government contractor on Cyber...

Retailers say they are bullish on in-store and online holiday sales

2012-11-25 13:53:46

Black Friday brings out crowds, some slopping over from Thursday

2012-11-23 15:25:42

Diane Townes waited in line for 12 hours to get her door-buster deals — printers, a laptop and a 50-inch television — so imagine her chagrin when it looked like she wouldn't be able to squeeze it all into her car Friday morning. The Owings...

A point-and-click Christmas

2012-12-19 09:41:55

Nothing says Christmas to me like the words "free shipping." The last hurdle on my way to full-online shopping has been cleared by retailers who got the message I sent last year: I am not paying for shipping. I know, I know. I am paying for shipping....

National Retail Federation

2013-04-30 11:15:49

Retail import volume is expected to slow by the end of the summer, according to a monthly report released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation. Above, a tugboat pulls a container ship into the Port of Long Beach.

2013-02-01 00:00:00

Research from the National Retail Federation shows that more than 179.1 million people will watch this year's Super Bowl.

2013-01-21 00:00:00